Musical instrument.



No. 666,?3L, Patented Ian. 29, 1901.

H. HORNBECK. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

(Application filed Mar. 13, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Shoets$hee! l.

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Pattentad Jan. 29, 190i No. 666,93l.

H. 'HOBNBECK, MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.v

(Application filed mrjla, 1900.

2 Shoats-8heot 2.

(No Model.)

' mvmron B I I apt/M ATIORNEYS WITNESSES Tn: NDRRS PETERS co PHOTO-UTNIL. WASHINGTON. o, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

HENRY I-IORNBECK, OF SAG HARBOR, NEW YORK.

MUSICAL INSTRUM ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,931, dated January 29, 1901.

I Application filed March 13, 1900. Serial No. 8,458. (No model.)

To Ml whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY HORNBEOK, a subject of the King of Denmark, residing at Sag Harbor, Long Island, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Musical Instruments, of which the followingis a full and complete specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to'make and use the same.

This invention relates to musical instruments, and more particularly to autoharps or instruments wherein the strings are mechanically stopped to allow the various musical chords to be played thereon.

A particular object of this invention is to provide an autoharp with a keyboard similar to the keyboard of a piano and whereby the strings are automatically stopped, as above set forth.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter specified.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which like reference characters denote like parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a plan View of an au toharp constructed according to my invention, and Fig. 2 a partial section thereof upon the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

In the practice of myinvention I provide a casing 3 of suitable form and provided with a top portion 1, which constitutes the sounding-board for the instrument and which is supported upon brackets or blocks 5, secured to the sides of the casing in the customary or any desired manner. The sides 3* of the casing are projected slightly above the soundingboard 4 thereof, and one of the sides 3 ranges obliquely to the longitudinal center of the casing in the customary manner.

Secured to the top of the side 3* and one of the next adjacent sides 3 are a plurality of string-pins 6, with each of which one end of one of the strings 7 is connected, and the other ends of the several strings 7 are respec' tively secured each to a turnable tuning-pin 8, which pins are arranged in a series transversely of the sounding-board 4: in the customary or any desired manner. The pins 8 are operated by a winding device in the customary or any desired manner to increase the tension upon the strings 7 ,whereby the soundpitch of each of said strings maybe varied in tuning the instrument.

The bridge 9 is mounted transversely of the casing 3, adjacent the pins 8, being secured to the sounding-board 4, and the bridge 9 is provided with a plurality of guide-pins 10. A supplemental bridge 11 is secured to the sou nding-board 4 at the end opposite that at which the bridge 9 is arranged and is similarly provided with guide-pins 12. The several strings '7 between the pins 6 and the pins 8 are passed about the several guide-pins 10 and 12, which maintain the strings in parallel relation.

Mounted transversely of the casing 3 is a bridge-piece 13, said bridge-piece being arranged above the strings 7, and the said bridge-piece is plurally vertically slotted, as shown in Fig. 2, at 14.-, whereby a series of said slotted portions is formed ranging transversely of the instrument. Pivoted at one corner at 15 in each of said slotted portions 14 is a triangular plate-lever 15, and secured at one end at 16, beneath the bridge-piece 13, in the same vertical plane as each of the platelevers 15 is a flexible damper 17, having a spring quality and provided at its outer end with a head 18, composed of felt or other yielding material. Each of the dampers 17 is arranged in the same longitudinal and vertical plane of the instrument as one of the strings 7, and the head 18 of each of the dampers 17 operates in connection with one of the strings 7, normally resting in a depressed position upon said string and preventing the vibration thereof necessary to produce a musical tone. Each of the dampers 17 is connected, adjacent the head 18 thereof, with the plate lever 15 directly thereabove by means of a link 19, which depends from therespective plate-lever 15 at a point adjacentthe outermost lower corner thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The mounting of the dampers 17 is such that each thereof is free to be flexed throughout its entire length when its respective plate-lever 15 is operated upon, as hereinafter described, and the spring quality of each of the dampers 17 is such thatupon the cessation of actuation of the respective platelever 15 the latter will be returned to its normal position, as shown in Fig. 2.

Arranged transversely of the bridge-piece 13 are a plurality of cylindrical rods 20, arranged in parallelism, and each of the rods 20 is provided at one end with a strip 21, of tape or other flexible material, which is connected therewith at one end, is wound about the same, and connected with the bridge-piece 13 at the other end at a point slightly at one side of the respective rod 20, whereby when, as hereinafter described, the rods 20 are axially revolved the tapes 21 will be wound thereon, and this action will move the rods 20 laterally above the bridge-piece 13. The rods 20 are preferably of equal diameter through out. The dampers 17 are operatively connected with the several rods 20, according to a predetermined system, whereby the rotation of one of said rods 20 causes the releasing of such of the strings 7 as are tuned relatively in octaves, and the connection of the dampers 17 and rods 20 is through the instrumentality of the plate-levers l5 and cords or other flexible devices 22, one of which is 0011- nected with the uppermost corner of each of the platelevers at one end and at the other end with the bridge-piece 13 adjacent one of the rods 20, as shown in Fig. 2 at 23.

In connecting each of the cords vith the bridge-piece 13 at 23 it is passed above, about, and beneath the respective rod and secured to the bridge-piece 13 at a point intermediate of the respective rod 20 and the respective platelever 15. A plurality of the dampers 17 are connected with each of the rods 20 in the manner above described, and in selecting the dampers 17 to thus operatively connect the same with one of the rods 20 such dampers are chosen as in normal position prevent the vibration of such a plurality of the strings 7 as when freed to allow of the vibration thereof may be struck or operated upon in any desired manner to sound a plurality of notes in octaves.

In the drawings I have shown fifty-six strings and fifty-six dampers therefor, said strings representing the strings of a piano of between four and five octaves; but by means of the above system of connection of the dampers 17 with the rods 20 but twelve of said rods are necessarily employed, twelve being consequently shown in the drawings. Arranged above the bridge-piece l3 and connected at one side with one of the sides 3 of the casing 3 and at the other side by standards 24 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2) is a key-frame comprising end pieces 25, a front piece 26, and a back piece 27. The keys (denoted by the general reference characters 28 and 29, which also respectively denote the white and black keys,) are pivotally connected with the back piece 27 of the key-frame by means of headed studs 29, secured to the said back piece 27, which headed studs are embraced by the bifurcated rear ends of the keys, and the keys 28 and 29 are further transversely slotted adjacent their pivoted which it is connected.

ends at 31 to receive guide-pins 32, which pass through said slots 31 and are fixed to the back piece 27 of the key-frame. Each of the keys 28 and 29 is provided with a depending arm 33, which is loosely connected with its respective key and is arranged in a plane transverse of the strings 7, slightly at one side of one of the rods 20. Connected at one end with the lower end of each of the arms 33 and 34: is a strip 35 of tape or other flexible material, which strip is wound about one of the rods 20 and connected therewith at the other end at 36, whereby as one of the keys is depressed the respective arm will depress the strip 35, connected therewith, causing axial rotation of the respective rod 20, which operation slightly moves said rod 20 laterally. Due to the flexible and elastic. quality of each of the arms 33 the same will yield to allow the respective rod 20 to move as last described, and when the said rod 20 is returned to its normal position by means of the spring quality of the damper 17, which operates thereupon through the agency of one of the plate-levers l5 and the cord 22, connected therewith, the respective arm 33 will be returned to its normal position, wherein it depends perpendicularly from the key with hen one of the keys is depressed, it is manifest that one of the rods 20 will be slightly moved laterally by means of the respective tape 35, and by means of the respective tapes 22, which are passed about the said rod 20, the respective platelevers 15 will be oscillated to raise the respective dampers 17, connected therewith, freeing the respective strings 7 for vibration by the operator to produce a series of octave tones, as above described. The strings 7 are chromatically arranged, as in a piano.

The keys 23 and 29 are preferably relatively arranged and formed similarly to the keys of a piano, and they respectively control, by means of the dampers l7, operatively connected therewith, such strings 7 as shall produce octaves, the relation of which shall be similar to the relation of the several keys 2S and 29.

I do not limit myself to the particular form, construction, and arrangement of parts herein specified nor the particular embodiment of the parts herein shown and described, but reserve the right to vary the same within the scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a musical instrument of the class described, a sound-producing device, a springdamper normally maintained in engagement therewith, a laterally-movable rotatable rod operatively connected with said damper, and a key operatively connected with said laterally-movable rod, whereby upon depression of said key, said damper will be disengaged from said sound-prod ucing device, and where- IIO by when said key is freed, said spring-dam per will be returned into position to engage said sound-producing device, and said key will be returned to its normal elevated position, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a musical instrument of the class described, a sound-producing device, a springdamper which operates in connection therewith, a lever operatively connected with said dam per, a movable rod operatively connected with said lever bymeans of a flexible device, and a key provided with a member which is also connected with said rod by means of a flexible device, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a m nsical instrument of the class de scribed, a spring-damper, a lever operatively connected therewith, a laterally-movable and revolnble rod connected with said lever by means of a flexible device which passes about said rod, and a key provided with a member which is operatively connected with said red by means of a flexible device which is directly connected with said rod, substantially as shown and described.

at. In a musical instrument of the class described, a plurality of strings, a plurality of spring-dampers each of which operates in connection with one of said springs, a plurality of levers operatively connected each with one of said dampers, a series of revoluble and lat orally-movable rods, a plurality of flexible devices which are passed about the several rods and which are connected with said levers, a plurality of keys, each of which is provided with a projecting arm operatively connected with one of said rods by means of a flexible device which is passed about the respective rod and directly connected therewith, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a musical instrument of the class described, a suitable casing provided with a sounding board, a plurality of strings ar ranged thereabove, a bridge-piece arranged transversely of and above said strings, a plurality of spring-dampers connected with said bridge-piece, each operating in connection with one of said strings, a plurality of levers connected with said bridge-piece and each operatively connected with one of said dampers, a plurality of revoluble and laterally-movable rods arranged upon said bridge-piece, transversely of said strings, each of which rods is connected with said bridge-piece by a plurality of flexible strips which are wound thereon, being connected therewith at one end, and with said bridge-piece at the other end, each of said levers being connected with one of said rods by means of a flexible device which is passed about the respective rod and connected at one end with said bridge-piece, and a plurality of keys, each of which is provided with a depending arm which is connected with one of said rods by means of a flexible strip which is passed about the respective rod and connected directly therewith at one end, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a musical instrument of the class described, a plurality of sound-producing devices, and a plurality of dampers which operate in connection therewith, a suitable support, a plurality of laterally movable and revoluble rods arranged upon said support, each 01": said rods being connected with one of said dampers by means of a flexible device which is passed about the respective rod and connected with said support at one end, each of said rods being connected with said support by means of a flexible strip which is passed about the respective rod and connected with said support at one end, and a plurality of keys, each of which is provided with a depending member which is conneeted with one of said rods by means of a flexible strip which is passed abontthe respective rod and directly connected therewith at one end, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 9th day of March, 1900.

HENRY HORNBEGK.

Witnesses:

F. A. STEWART, V. M. VosLnR. 

